The new variety is a tissue culture derived sport of the species Hosta plantaginea. I discovered the plant in a cultured state in a greenhouse on the premises of Walters Gardens, Inc., Zeeland, Mich., among a group of transplanted propagules produced from a plant tissue culture laboratory. The stock plant was from Hosta plantaginea which had begun producing mutant sports of a mixture of variegations including those of a sectorial, mericlinal and periclinal nature. A single plant with a stable periclinal variegation was noticed in the summer of 1988 and was separated from the rest of the transplants. Continued observations led to a greater recognition of the uniqueness of the plant.
The cultivar has been asexually propagated via tissue culture at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. It has also been asexually propagated by division of the rhizome. Although tissue culture propagation can produce aberrants or mutants, making some culling necessary, to one skilled in the art of tissue culture it can also be a propagation tool useful in producing identical plants.
By using the method developed and improved at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., the Hosta `Gold Margin` variety is being successfully propagated so as to produce plants that are substantially identical to the original plant by tissue culture division as well as by garden division of the rhizome.
The new variety is hereby named "Gold Margin" and is sold under the trademark "Heaven Scent".